This patent is directed to a casino gaming apparatus, and more particularly to a gaming apparatus having a plurality of mechanical slot reels and one or more light valves. The gaming apparatus may be either an individual gaming unit or a casino gaming system that has a plurality of gaming units.
Conventional casino gaming units that have included mechanical slot reels sometimes experience situations where the mechanical slot reels stop spinning and display a wrong symbol. This wrong symbol could result in a display of a winning symbol combination that was different from the symbol combination that was correctly determined by the gaming apparatus. Many factors could cause one or more of the mechanical reel to stop on an incorrect symbol, including for example, a power failure, an electrostatic discharge into the housing of the gaming apparatus, a mechanical failure, etc.
Regardless of the cause of the mechanical slot reels stopping on a wrong symbol, the casinos have traditionally been forced to choose between one of several undesirable options, such as paying the player the prize corresponding to the symbol combination incorrectly displayed or refusing to pay the player the prize corresponding to the symbol combination incorrectly displayed. As could be expected, the second option would create a great deal of anger on behalf of the player and generate ill will toward the casino.